Science marketing
Science Marketing (English science marketing ) refers to the relatively new approach of universities and research institutions, their activities strategically and consistently to the needs of the market align.
“However, the challenges of the present and even more of the future force universities to think about a comprehensive marketing concept. It should be borne by all those involved, but must not be misunderstood as a uniform strategy prescribed from above. "
Similar businesses in mature buyers' markets also have research and teaching more than ever for limited resources compete - including government funds as well as orders from the industry. The institutions also compete for the best students and researchers. Finally, the area of public affairs has gained in importance because the legislation at the German and European level sets important framework conditions for research and teaching (e.g. excellence initiative , Bologna process or laws on ethics , for example in the area of stem cell research ).
- “We are in a phase of reorientation. Whoever positions himself how and with what emphasis and positions himself in the study and research market will be attentively registered. (…) These are ... Personnel development measures, strategies for recruiting, the creation of prerequisites for professional management and of course the development and implementation of a consistent marketing strategy. This is responsible for the consistent implementation of the profile and branding. "
Fields of action
Science marketing takes place in similar fields of action as company marketing and basically uses the same tools. The focus is the desire needs / demands early recognition of the research and education market and satisfy with matching offers.
The "Four P of Marketing" - product, price, place and promotion - there is also the Science Marketing: One of the market desired product (research, training program) will be sold at a reasonable price through specific distribution channels, with the classic instruments of communication policy for use come ( marketing mix ).
Science marketing is a strategic management task. For example, it is affiliated with the staff unit of a university or research institution. It is operated with business administration instruments (e.g. budgeting , project management ).
Successful science marketing requires knowledge of the research and educational landscape (= market), of its actors (= market participants; e.g. major players) and their motivations. Understanding of academic work and the structure and process organization of universities is also helpful.
Science marketing can (or should) unite different sub-disciplines under the umbrella of an overarching (marketing) strategy :
- Marketing : One of the central tasks of science marketing is to identify new trends at an early stage so that suitable offers can be developed. In addition to new developments in the scientific field, it should also monitor social changes (e.g. lifelong learning , in-service training). In addition, the university or research institution must be positioned as a distinctive brand in order to be better / more clearly perceived in a confusing international market. Analogous to the sales policy in companies, research and teaching must also pursue targeted acquisition , for example in the market for research contracts or in the competition for researchers and students.
- Business administration : Science marketing is a management task that also includes the planning and control of (scientific) projects. Knowledge of budget and investment planning as well as strategic controlling are part of the tools in this area.
- Fundraising : Basic state funding for research and teaching has fallen since the 1980s. Universities are more “company universities” than they used to be - they have to generate a large part of their income themselves, for example through industrial contracts, research projects or tuition fees. Knowledge of the tendering process and funding programs is essential for this.
- Public Relations : This includes press work as well as internal communication and the exchange with special sub-publics from the field of research and teaching (for example alumni networks as "ambassadors" for their alma mater ).
- Public Affairs : New laws can encourage and / or hinder research activities. Universities and research institutions must therefore seek constant contact with parliamentarians, the ministerial bureaucracy and government members. In addition, it is important to organize topic-related alliances with other stakeholders , for example industry or professional associations. In addition, the scientific institutions can also submit statements on current trends at the request of politicians.
International comparison
In the Anglo-Saxon countries, universities have a long tradition of self-marketing: the large universities in the USA have their own offices in Washington in order to influence the allocation of budgetary funds and legislation in relevant areas (e.g. medical ethics or educational funding). British universities are also actively lobbying in Brussels. This trend is likely to continue:
- “In five to ten years, there will be a lot of full-time lobbyists in Europe who will be working for universities, observing politics, establishing networks, writing position papers, appearing in hearings and preparing the entree for the chief talks of their presidents. (...) That is money well invested in terms of risk management and university marketing. "
history
Science marketing has been a topic in Germany since the 1990s - at that time, shortly after reunification, it was foreseeable that the radical change in the East German university and research landscape would also result in a reform process in the West. Not only the East German, but also the universities and non-university institutes in the old federal states were evaluated by the Science Council.
In this context, terms from business administration - such as brand, profile building, customer orientation, fundraising or efficiency - were also introduced into the debate about the German university and research landscape. In addition, within the framework of the Bologna process, a uniform education and research market is being created in Europe (with comparable bachelor and master degrees ), on which scientific institutions must distinguish themselves.
Training paths and professional field
Science marketing is a young field of activity for which there are hardly any training opportunities in German-speaking countries. As of May 2009, the TU Berlin offered the only nationwide qualification in this field.
- TU Berlin: Since the winter semester 2005/2006, the TU Berlin has been offering a part-time master’s course in "Science Marketing". The course imparts knowledge for the marketing of R&D institutions, universities and science-related companies. As part of the four-semester training, topics from the fields of business administration, law, marketing, public relations and media are dealt with, and the students also get to know the complex German science system. Admission requirements are a completed degree or a bachelor's degree and at least one year of professional experience. The degree is called "Master of Science Communications and Marketing".
- Münster University of Applied Sciences: The research and development focus "Science Marketing", founded in 2002 at the Münster University of Applied Sciences, developed a strategic approach for the marketing of research skills, research capacities and research services with its concept of "Science-to-Business Marketing". In contrast to university marketing, research is the subject of marketing - the target group of science marketing is current and potential research customers and not the public. Therefore, communication and advertising are not in the foreground, but the entire range of customer and demand-oriented marketing instruments.
Professional field: After their training, the experts in science communication and science marketing work as institute directors, research and development managers, as heads of public relations or as heads of a research project. Because the research and educational landscape is becoming increasingly competitive, the prospects in this area are considered good.
See also
literature
- Ada Pellert (Ed.): Introduction to University and Science Management . ISBN 3-932306-80-5
- Iris Pfeiffer, Ulf Glöckner, Manon Rani Sharma, Simone Kaiser: University company - the future of universities in competition . ISBN 978-3-9810016-2-4
- Science management - magazine for innovation. Lemmens Medien, ISSN 0947-9546
Individual evidence
- ↑ Werner Hans Engelhardt: "Communication policy as a starting point for science marketing." In: Science marketing . Bochum: Brockmeyer, 1993. ISBN 3-8196-0110-4
- ↑ Wolfgang Merten: Study letter "Professional field of science marketing" . TU Berlin, 2007
- ↑ Marco Althaus, in: Merten: Study letter "Professional field of science marketing"
- ↑ www.tubs.de ( Memento from March 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ [1]